


let me hold you in my arms

by idkmanjustwrite



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Beacon Days, F/F, Flashbacks, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, MY EMOTIONS, Romance, Smut, but lmao i don't know how to write it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2019-10-29
Packaged: 2020-11-16 13:28:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20825135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idkmanjustwrite/pseuds/idkmanjustwrite
Summary: Yang should have known the first time Blake fell asleep in her arms wouldn’t be the last.a collection of stories of yang and blake falling asleep together...and all the times they didn't. from beacon days to the future.





	1. beacon

Yang should have known the first time Blake fell asleep in her arms wouldn’t be the last.

The two of them were studying together for upcoming exams for Oobleck’s class in Yang’s bunk. They had gone over all the terms, reviewed the material, quizzed each other on the possible upcoming questions. But Blake kept expressing how incredibly stupid she felt. She kept mixing definitions up, answering questions wrong. Yang could see the look of frustration on her face-her eyebrows scrunching together and her hands in hidden fists.

Yang knew that she had the class period before Blake’s. She could easily get the questions for her so that she would have a little more time to study, and could get a slight advantage in the class. But Blake wasn’t having it.

“Yang, no.”

“Yang, yes.”

Yang always liked to take care of her teammates. It was just something she was used to from all the years of taking care of Ruby. She still remembers the nights where Ruby’s cries would wake her from sleeping (not that she was in the first place), and the young girl would rush to her sister’s side and hold her until she fell asleep. She would then go back to her own room and press play on the tears she had paused for a moment. She never wanted anyone to feel as helpless and alone as she did during those years.

And if she could help someone as clever and beautiful as Blake, then it was a plus.

_Wait, beautiful? _

Blake sighed. “Yang, I need to be able to pass this with my own intellect. Not from some handed-down answers.” The girl went back to turning over the flashcards, grimacing when she got one wrong and promptly rubbing her temples.

“Blake, I know you’ll be able to pass this. You’re one of the smartest people in the class, heck, I’d say in all of Beacon!” Yang hesitated, then laid her hand on the girl’s, preventing her from flipping over another card. She could swear she felt Blake’s pulse quicken, but other than that, there was no noticeable reaction. “Just let me help you. There’s nothing wrong with accepting a friend’s help.”

Blake looked up at her, gold eyes shining, glittering faintly due to the few lights in their dorm, and Yang suddenly found it incredibly hard to breathe. The two stared at each other for a while, Yang questioning the use of her word “friends”, when Blake suddenly opened her mouth.

The yawn that came out was very telling. The way that Yang was trying to avoid looking at the smooth skin of Blake’s stomach when her shirt had ridden up thanks to her stretching her arms, was also very telling. She thought that Blake had caught her in the act for a brief second, and felt her ears burning. For once in her life, she was thankful for her massive, unruly hair.

She found the courage to look back up at her partner, and saw how she was trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes as she reached for another flashcard. Yang found her loophole.

“Fine, I won’t tell you the answers for tomorrow’s test,” Yang finally spoke.

Blake raised her eyebrows-she knew her partner too well. “But...”

“But, I need you to get some sleep. Right now.”

“Right now?” Blake looked back down at her flashcards and notes strewn across Yang’s bed. “But-”

“Nuh uh. No buts.”

Blake rolled her eyes and groaned. Her shoulders were slumped over from exhaustion as she looked back down at their study materials one last time, and finally sighed in defeat. Yang smirked, knowing that Blake was not going to put up a fight, especially when she was that tired.

“Fine.”

Then Blake did something that surprised her-which didn’t necessarily happen a lot. Over the past semester, and now a couple months into this one, she thought she had her friend figured out. Well, mostly. She could still be her very mysterious self sometimes. But there had been a lot that they talked about, both of them revealing things about their past, their goals, what they wanted out of life. On and off the battlefield, she could tell what Blake was thinking, what move she was going to make, what steps she was going to take.

Yang could have never predicted this step though. Blake carefully put the neon colored flashcards back into their original order, and put the rubber band back around them to keep them together. She folded up the notes that they had shared between classes and dropped them expertly onto her lower bunk.

Yang was going to tease her about being too lazy to put the materials back on their work desk, but shut her mouth when Blake crawled back on the mattress, where Yang was still leaning against the headboard. She snaked her arms around the lower part of her waist, and carefully laid her head on top of Yang’s hipbone. Yang felt her whole body freeze up, her heart the only thing still running, and running wildly.

“Mmm..goodnight.” Blake’s long eyelashes fluttered as her eyes closed, her long, dark hair sprawling over Yang’s abdomen. She adjusted her head and dug her nose into her side, settling in.

This was it. This was how Yang died.

She looked down at the young woman sleeping peacefully in her arms. Her arms. Right. She hadn’t moved at all since Blake had pulled her little stunt. Yang carefully wrapped her arms around Blake’s shoulders, and sunk a little down the bed as she rested her chin on top of her head. Yang could not believe this was happening. The girl she had always admired, the person she had shared a part of herself with that no one knew about, her partner, her best friend, had fallen asleep in the safety of Yang’s arms.

Was she dreaming? Is that why she felt like she was floating?

Yang felt the overwhelming urge to lay a kiss on top of her head, but felt like that would be crossing some sort of invisible line. She settled instead for running a hand through her soft locks, figuring she could come up with a better excuse for that motion if she woke up.

Yang was trailing her fingers up and down Blake’s back, playing with the curls at the end of her hair, when Blake suddenly shifted against her form. She panicked, thinking Blake would be weirded out if she woke up fully and knew what she was doing, and quickly drew her hand back. But instead of Blake pushing off her and jumping back down to her bunk in disgust like Yang was imagining, Blake whined, “Nooooo,” and grabbed her hand to place it where it had previously been. Yang smiled, feeling her heart beat wildly, and continued her previous movements. Blake sighed in content. Yang looked down at her and examined her face.

Cute. Pretty. Beautiful.

_No_, Yang thought, _friend is definitely not the right word_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> definitely believe this girl caught the feelings first. this situation also may have been taken from similar events in my life so spare me for the pure fluff. 
> 
> the angst is coming...
> 
> also the rwby panel for volume 7 at nycc is happening this week! much excitement. 
> 
> please leave any and all comments/feedback!


	2. separated

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let it bee known that i predicted yang yeeting books.

Blake groaned as she finally gave up on sleeping that night. She rolled over on her side to look at the alarm clock on her bedside table, not surprised to see the late time being shown. 

_ 3:02 am. _

She had been trying to sleep for several hours now, but could not seem to get her thoughts off of a certain blonde, and not the one asleep in the guest room of her parent’s house. Menagerie should have been the best place to fall asleep in. The rolling waves breaking along the beaches, the calming sounds of birds and fireflies floating through the air, the trees swaying along in the breeze, the dazzling moon shining partially through the curtains. But none of this seemed to help with putting Blake to sleep. 

Her mind kept repeating what had happened at Beacon only a couple months ago, like a filmstrip that kept getting stuck on the middle frame. She remembered looking up at the face of her tormentor, once  _ just _ mentor, and hearing him say those words that still haunted her. 

_ “I will make it my mission to destroy everything you love.” _

_ She thought about all the things she loved. Her parents, her friends, her teammates. She couldn’t let them get hurt. She wouldn’t allow it to happen. But if they were going to stand against Adam… _

_ All of sudden, she heard someone call out her name, and it was like fate was plunging its needle into her heart.  _

_ Yang. The person she had grown to trust, to care for, to...love the most. He was going to destroy Yang.  _

_ Adam looked down at her face, full of complete and utter fear, his own reflecting several emotions. Anger, disgust, malice. He turned to look back at Yang, who was currently defending herself against some Grimm and White Fang members.  _

_ Spite.  _

_ “Starting with her.” _

_ Blake remembered searing pain flooding to her side. She remembered Yang’s eyes, looking as scared as she’s ever been. Not because of Adam, but because she was going to lose the one thing that had given her direction again. She remembers her pleas, barely emerging from her throat, begging Yang not to help her. Yang’s eyes turning from fear to something stronger. Her jumping through the air, a sinister red light filling the room, something detaching from her partner. Yang’s eyes no longer a place she could turn to anymore. That was the last time she would see them.  _

_ Blake remembered jumping in front of her, her side aching in pain. The pain wasn't important, it was temporary. Yang wasn't. She remembered activating the last bit of her semblance that she could, and running off with the dismembered girl in her arms.  _

_ “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry...” _

_ She repeated this as she took off, running back to her friends, as fast as her aura-depleted body would carry her. Her whole body was searing in pain, but she didn’t care. Tears ran down the sides of her face, but she didn’t bother to wipe them away. Getting Yang away from him, away from  _ her _ was the most important thing now.  _

_ She made it back to where her group was, Sun and Weiss spotting them first.  _

_ Weiss gasped loudly and held a hand to her mouth. “What happened?!”  _

_ “I’m sorry...” It seemed to be the only thing Blake could say at this point.  _

_ Sun took Yang from her arms and carefully laid her down. Blake collapsed next to her, her legs finally giving way beneath her, wanting to stay both as far and as close to her as possible. She groaned as the pain, both physical and emotional, suddenly seemed to be too much.  _

_ Weiss stood frozen in front of her teammates. Sun put his arms behind his head and started pacing. They both didn’t know how to handle this. No one did.  _

_ Blake heard the sound of footsteps running up, her leader’s voice. Her sister. What was her sister going to say?  _

_ Blake heard voices talking, but it all sounded muffled. She wasn’t paying attention to anyone else anyways. She looked over to Yang, at her cut-off arm that someone seemed to have bandaged up without her noticing.  _

_ “I’m sorry...I’m so sorry.”  _

_ She knew she wouldn’t let this happen to her ever again. She knew she had to leave.  _

Blake wiped the tears from her eyes and rolled off the side of her bed, legs hitting the hardwood floor. Her throat feeling drier than the deserts of Menagerie, she made her way to the kitchen to get some water. She grabbed a glass from the cupboards and shakily put it under the tap. Blake filled the glass up as much as she could and chugged it down. She must have been crying for longer than she thought. 

Blake’s ears twitched as she sensed someone approaching. Probably her mom, knowing that both of them were light sleepers due to their sensitive hearing. She turned around and was surprised to not meet Kali’s face. 

“Hey,” Sun said. 

And that was all it took. She ran into his arms and started shaking violently as she cried. He gingerly wrapped his own around her, careful not to squeeze her. 

Sun sighed. “You need to stop doing this to yourself, Blake.” 

Blake knew that he was aware of why she was crying. He had been aware of it for a while now. 

“I just-” she sobbed, words coming out muffled and broken, “I-I, why did I leave...I’m s-so stu-pid.”

“No, you’re not,” Sun said as her held her a little tighter. “And you know exactly why you left.”

“I wish I never did,” her heart ached as another sob emerged. “I-crap. I miss h-her. I miss her so mu-much.” 

“I know. I know you do. I bet she misses you too.” 

Sun let her cry the rest of her emotions out, figuring it would make her tired and at least help her get  _ some _ sleep. His thinking was right, and he helped her walk slowly back to bed. She shifted under the covers, throwing on more blankets than she was used to, and Sun helped tuck her in. 

He laid a hand on her shoulder and said, “I’ll be right back.”

Blake watched him leave, blankly staring at the dark hallway leading out of her door. She felt so exhausted. 

A few minutes later he came back with tea, smelling faintly of lavender, probably from the kettle they didn’t finish earlier, and set it on her bedside table. She gave him a soft smile of appreciation. She really didn’t deserve a friend like him in her life. He returned it with a bigger grin. 

After Blake took a few sips, seemingly comforted by the warmth, he turned around to head back down the hall. As Sun walked out of her bedroom he dropped in, “If you need anything, don’t be afraid to ask.” He turned and stared at her pointedly. “Remember, we’re always here for you. We always want to help.” 

With that not so subtle message, he gently closed her door and she listened as he made his way back to the guest, well,  _ his  _ room. Blake stretched out one arm and took another cautious sip of her tea (you never know when you might end up with some burnt taste buds). Looking down, she realized the arm that she had grabbed with was the same arm Yang used to protect her at Beacon. 

The arm she had lost because of  _ her _ . 

And suddenly, Blake’s eyes were blurry once more.

-

Yang bolted upright gasping for air. Her chest was heaving from the breaths she was taking in, her hand tightly gripping the sheets. She looked around at her surroundings and found herself back in her room.

_ It was just a nightmare. It was just a nightmare. _

She took a few deep breaths to steady herself and raised her arm to wipe the sweat that had formed on her forehead. Reaching over, she grabbed the glass full of water that she had left for herself and chugged it all down. She somehow managed to remain thirsty after it. When she went to set the glass down on her bedside table, it clinked against something. 

The arm.

She still had not put it on. Yang didn’t know if she ever wanted to. It wouldn’t be something she would gain, it would only remind her of what she had lost. 

Her arm, her old fighting spirit, Penny, Pyrrha, Weiss being taken back, her sister leaving. 

Blake. 

It seemed like life just kept giving her all these amazing things, gifting these talents, introducing these people into her life, only to steal them from her and leave her abandoned. That was the main reason she was so hesitant to put on the arm. She wasn’t scared to start fighting again, of training to becoming a huntress. She was scared of gaining some bit of confidence and happiness back, only to have it stolen away once again. 

Yang was tired of building herself up, convincing herself she deserved to experience joy, and having it all fall apart. She was tired of writing false narratives for herself, believing in a miracle, only for it to unravel and reveal the harsh reality. She was tired of holding this all in, trying to be strong for others, for her friends, for her family. She was tired of feeling alone. 

_ Leave her alone. _

Those were Yang’s last thoughts before she was knocked out at Beacon. Before she lost everything.

_ His sword. It looked just like the ones Blake had drawn in her pictures.  _

_ The way she was looking at him.  _

_ Adam. That had to be Adam.  _

_ Frankly, she didn’t really care who it was. All she saw was her partner on the ground, heard her cries of pain once the deadly sword pierced her stomach. She had only one thought circulating through her, fueling her. _

_ Protect. _

_ “Get AWAY FROM HER!”  _

_ She dove in head first. She wasn’t thinking. She didn’t make a plan. All she knew was that she wasn’t going to let Blake get hurt by this twisted figure.  _

_ Yang saw her face as she flew through the air, heading straight into Adam’s line of fire. Blake looked horrified, like she knew what was going to happen next. _

_ The sound of something slicing through the air. Bright red. Searing pain.  _

_ Then nothing.  _

_ She woke up gasping for air, looking around wildly to try to gather where she was.  _

_ Airship. They were on an airship. A grounded airship. Why were they there? _

_ Yang turned to the side and saw Qrow, holding Ruby in his arms. She was limp, looking completely unconscious. “I gotcha, kiddo,” Qrow mumbled, looking down at her lifeless body. His face revealed a plethora of emotions. Worry, sadness, anger. Her concern immediately made her take action.  _

_ “Ruby-” she clenched her teeth as a burning pain shot through her right side.  _

_ “Yang! You’re awake!” she looked over and saw Sun jogging over to her with a somewhat relieved look on his face.  _

_ “Sun?” she groaned. “What happened?” _

_ His look of relief instantly faded, instead placed with an emotion she had never seen on the boy’s face before. Despair.  _

_ “You..ran off to go find Blake. You found her. But you...found someone else too,” he sighed. “You tried saving her but...” Sun looked down at the side of her body that was aching in pain just moments before. She followed his line of sight and couldn’t stop the gasp that emerged from her, nor the multitude of tears that threatened to spill out of her eyes.  _

_ Her arm...it was...it was gone. Her arm was gone.  _

_ “You passed out after the hit. Blake carried you back to us, and stayed with you the whole ride here.” _

_ Blake. The look of fear on her face. Her shouts of pain. The sounds of a sword. Red. It all came racing back.  _

_ Yang looked frantically around the airship, trying to locate her partner. No black bow in sight. “Sun, where's Blake?”  _

_ He looked down, shoulders sagging. Sun couldn’t maintain eye contact with her. He shifted uncomfortably on his feet, still kneeling beside her.  _

_ “Sun,” the tears now rolling freely from her eyes, her fist clenching, “Where. Is. Blake?”  _

_ He still wouldn’t look into her eyes, knowing that if he did, he wouldn’t be able to tell her. “She...she left.” _

_ Yang felt her stomach sink.  _

_ No. No. No. Not again. This couldn’t be happening. Not after everything. No. No. No.  _

_ “She left? What the hell do you mean she left?” her fingernails started digging into her skin, crescent moons forming on her palms, but she didn’t care. She could slowly feel her eyes shifting from their calm lilac to burning red.  _

_ He sighed, he still couldn’t look her in the eyes. “She ran away. She checked on everyone, on your teammates. She asked me to stay with you until you woke up. To make sure you would be okay. She-” he paused, not knowing if he should share the rest. _

_ Her whole body was shaking by now. From the pain or her emotions, she didn’t know. “She what, Sun?”  _

_ Sun finally met her gaze, not shocked to see her eyes blazing. “She said she was sorry.”  _

_ Yang clenched her jaw, tears spilling from her face onto the fabric of her clothes, already stained with dirt and dust and dried blood.  _

_ She  _ was _ shaking from the pain. The pain of everything being taken away from her. The pain of being left alone once again.  _

_ Sorry . She scoffed internally.  Sorry meant nothing . _

Yang set her feet down on the floor, pulling herself back to the present, still sitting on the bed. The moonlight was piercing through her windows. The house made creaks and moans, sounds of it settling. But all Yang could hear was the hammering of her heart. Her left hand curled around the bed sheets, trying to control the ache coursing through her body. 

She looked up from the wooden floor, staring straight ahead at the bookcase. She scanned the titles, recognizing some presents from Ruby, some hand-me-downs from her parents. But right in the middle, all different sizes and colors and ages, were all the books she had “borrowed” from Blake. She was planning on giving them back to her after the Vytal Festival had finished. She didn’t know if she’d ever get that chance, now. Or if she’d even want it. 

She stood up slowly, legs still shaking from her nightmares. Yang walked over to the bookcase, picking up one of the novels. She ran her thumb over the worn spine, and flipped it over to its cover.  _ In The Garden. _ She still had the spot where she left off on marked. She stole one of Ruby’s bookmarks to do so, knowing that Blake hated when people dog-eared the pages. Yang flipped through the book, bits and pieces of the story coming back to her. 

It was about two women who had fallen in love with each other, but refused to admit their true feelings to neither their peers nor themselves. Every day they would meet in the garden between their houses. To talk, to laugh, to cry, to...well, Blake did like her fair share of.. _ what did Ruby call it? Filth? _ But throughout the story, they always met up with one another. No matter what was occurring around them. Until one of them just...stopped. The other would constantly come with flowers to give to the other, would sit down in the spot where they used to convene, and just wait. But she never came. 

That was the part Yang was stuck on. Why wasn’t the other lady coming?

_ Why wasn’t Blake coming? _

Her thoughts overcame her once again, and she could feel the shift of her eyes. Yang’s arm shook violently, and she threw the book against the floor with a scream. Her hand flew wildly across the shelves, pulling books left and right. Blake’s, and then her own along with them. She sobbed, she yelled, she gasped for air in between. If anyone had walked in, they would have seen the perfect picture of someone broken. Of someone that just couldn’t take it anymore. 

After a few more books thudded against the ground, and a few more cries left her throat, the shelves were all clear. She saw only one more obstacle in the way. With one hand, eyes still glaring their dangerous color, hair lightly crackling with energy, she shoved it to the ground with a guttural scream. It sounded heavily against the wooded floor, and waves of dust scattered around the room. 

Yang put one hand on her knees and panted. Her strength was definitely not what it used to be. That thought only upset her more. 

She heard footsteps running up the stairs, and the sound of her door slamming open. 

“Yang! What-” 

She turned and met her father’s eyes, the details of him fading as tears started to form. He crossed the short distance between them and scooped her into his arms as she fell to the ground, cupping the back of her head with his hand. The other rubbed comforting circles on her back as Yang’s sobs came back full force, completely uncontrollable. 

“Why? Why did she l-leave me? Why did they leave me? Why did they d-do that to me? Why...?” Yang stuttered, running off the thoughts that she had been bottling up for years. Taiyang let her get them out, not stopping to interrupt them. 

“Why? Why? Why?” her cries tapered off as her eyes started to shut. She gradually sank into her dad’s arms, head falling to his shoulder as she finally gave into her exhaustion. He put one arm under her legs, making sure to support her head, and carefully set her down on her bed. He pulled the sheets over her sleeping figure, placing a soft kiss to her forehead. 

He grabbed the empty glass off her nightstand, and surveyed the damage of her room. They would deal with it in the morning. 

He turned to leave, his unoccupied hand resting on the doorknob.

“I don’t know, Yang,” Tai said to the empty air. “I don’t know.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOOOH that chapter was emotional to write. i hoped you all enjoyed it nonetheless! i really loved writing through sun and taiyang's eyes-their bonds with each of the girls is so special to me.
> 
> we'll be switching back to blake's pov next chapter! a little angst, a little fluff. we might be going to a certain city that was teased in a certain trailer...
> 
> please leave any and all comments/feedback!


	3. atlas

Blake woke up, gasping for air. Her eyes flew wildly around the room, taking in her surroundings. The sheets were a light navy blue, soft and silky to the touch. The walls were covered in paintings of random people or high-scale objects. The moon lightly filtered in through the windows, stars twinkling in the night sky. It reminded her of home, but this definitely was not Menagerie. Her pulling off the warm covers of the bed, causing the freezing air to make her shiver, reminded Blake of that. 

They were in Atlas. She just had a nightmare. 

She ran a lazy hand through her damp hair and panicked for a second before remembering what had happened to its length. Blake had cut off her hair to rest just above her shoulders, the ends coming to a stop at the nape of her neck. She hadn’t had it that short since she was a kid, going to rallies for the White Fang. Before she met Adam. 

She thought that cutting off a piece of it, a piece of him, would help give her some closure. She thought finally getting rid of him would give her some peace of mind. But as the red light still burned in her eyes, she knew she was wrong. 

_ “I still get flashes from that night.”  _ Blake recalled Yang saying that to her back at the farm, feeling incredibly guilty about the pain Yang had to endure. They hadn’t had the time to talk about the situation that occurred in Argus yet, or about the events that happened after Beacon. She needed to talk about it.

_ Yang. She needed to talk to Yang. She needed Yang. _

Blake set her feet down on the cold marble of the floor, and made her way down the small set of stairs. Why anyone needed a staircase to get to a bed still confused her, but she didn’t have the time to contemplate that right now. She turned the doorknob and quietly made her way to Yang’s room, right across the hall from hers. Blake looked left and right before placing her hand on Yang’s handle and gently opening it, not wanting to have to deal with questions from her friends about why she was going into her room. 

For any other human, it would have been hard to see, the moon only providing so much light. But thanks to her faunus traits, Blake could see her perfectly. She was resting on her side, the sheets falling delicately over her figure. They rose up and down as her breaths came out, but her body still looked tensed up, not rested. Blake drew her gaze up to her face. Her lilac eyes were open, staring straight ahead at a spot on the wall. She looked extremely tired. 

“Yang?”

Yang’s eyebrows raised, recognizing the voice. She turned her head and met Blake’s eyes, sitting up the slightest bit on her elbows. Her face filled with worry, looking over her partner. “Hey,” her voice sounded weary, “are you ok?” 

The tone of her voice, the way the moon reflected off her, the way the lilac of her eyes seemed to bore right into her very soul. She wanted to be both as far away and as close to her as possible. The vulnerability and softness of her friend terrifying yet enticing. 

Her legs seemed to move for her, and suddenly she was sitting on the edge of Yang’s bed, throwing her arms around her partner. As she buried her face into the crook of her neck, Yang let her stiffened body relax and placed her own arms around her. One hand resting on the back of her head, the other drawing soothing circles onto her lower back. 

Blake’s whole body shook as the sobs emerged from her chest. Yang didn’t ask questions or try to stop her, she just held her and let her emotions run freely. Blake was thankful. Once she slowed down, Yang pulled back and cupped her face, fingers brushing away the remaining tears. “What happened?” she asked softly. 

“I-” she sniffled, “I...saw him. He just...we were there. He was lying in a pool of blood. And he kept staring at me. He kept asking me why I did it. How I could...h-how I could be so cruel," Blake released as a sob escaped her lips. 

Yang placed a strand of hair behind her ear, her head tilting to the side. “Blake-”

“And I...I  _ believed _ him. I mean, he deserved everything that came to him. But...how could I do something like that? And then I dragged you into it, and I know you were there because you chose to be, but I still feel like it was all my fault, and you have to deal with all of this because of me, and-”

“Blake,” Yang placed her forehead against her own. “Stop. Take a breath.”

Blake nodded, keeping their foreheads in place, needing a place to ground herself. She inhaled deeply, and exhaled, trying to slow her racing heartbeat. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. Yang breathed along with her, and the warm air on her face comforted her. Yang comforted her. 

“You can’t let him keep doing this to you," Yang said as she lightly shook her head. "He got inside of your head ever since you met him. He made you feel like you were in the wrong, like you were the bad guy,” she drew their faces back from each other again, lilac meeting gold. “But you are  _ not _ bad. You were defending yourself.  _ We _ were defending ourselves. If we keep letting him tell us who we are, we keep letting him exist in our lives. Adam is gone. He is  _ never _ going to hurt us again. We have to keep moving forward, or else, he wins.” 

Blake sighed, her eyes lowering. “I know, I just, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry for leaving you, and making you have to deal with my past, my mistakes-”

“Blake, look at me.” 

Gold met lilac once again as she looked at the small smile on Yang’s face. Yang placed her hand on the side of her face, gently stroking her cheek. She gulped as she realized just how close they were. 

“Stop saying you’re sorry. I know you are. You prove it through your actions each and every day. You wouldn’t be sitting here by my side if you weren’t.” Yang paused, eyes avoiding hers, considering her next words. “Weiss and I talked. About you. She told me...that I should try understanding why you left. I guess, I never really took the time to think about it. I was just so caught up in the pain, that I never stopped to think about  _ your _ pain.” 

She dropped her hands to take Blake’s, Blake instantly intertwining them without a second thought. Yang ran her thumbs back and forth over her knuckles, making her heart skip a beat at the gesture. “I know I got mad at you. I apologize for that.” She raised her gaze back to her eyes at the words, Yang’s staying glued to their hands. “And that fight with Adam...I get it. I understand why you left now.” Yang looked back up into gold. “I was in a lot of pain, but the worst pain I ever felt was knowing that you blamed yourself for something that  _ wasn’t _ your fault. The worst pain I will ever feel is when someone I deeply care about indirectly hurts themselves.” Yang squeezed her hands, indicating who she was talking about. 

Blake’s eyes turned blurry as an overwhelming feeling seemed to burst from within her chest. She pulled Yang into her, grasping onto her as tightly as she could. Yang embraced her just as firmly, holding her close. “I care about you,” Blake gasped. “So much.” She pulled back a little and chuckled. “Like, I might actually explode.” Yang joined in her laughter, and the girls just sat there, holding onto each other, enjoying each other’s warmth. It felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and looking at Yang’s expression, it seemed the same could be said for her. Yang moved her hand from her arm to tuck her hair behind her ear, toying with the ends like she did when she saw it for the first time. She felt her cheeks burning, just like they did the first time. Her heart beat wildly in her chest. 

Yang's eyes widened in realization of what she was doing, and quickly moved her hand away, blushing. “Sorry,” she giggled. 

Blake lightly swatted her on her metallic arm. “Hey-I thought we said no ‘sorrys’.” 

Yang chuckled softly, regarding her with a look so soft it sent her heart into overdrive. “You’re perfect, you know that?” 

Blake could feel the heat flooding back to her cheeks, her heart going from overdrive to completely bursting with emotions. Looking into her eyes was too much for the young faunus, and she found the sheets of the bed to be suddenly very interesting. 

Yang giggled awkwardly, “I don’t know why I said that out loud. Probably just, really tired.” Blake looked back up at her face and saw it turning redder than her sister’s hair. But she wasn’t one to judge, she probably looked the exact same way. 

“It-it’s ok. You’re...pretty ok yourself.”  _ Pretty ok yourself? What? What was she saying? What was going on? _

Yang just gave her a small smile and tucked a piece of her own hair behind her ear. Her heart went rampant once again. 

_ Yeah, definitely pretty. _

All these emotions and feelings scared the crap out of her. She had always cared about Yang. That was pretty evident. But blushing, her heart simultaneously melting and racing, her thoughts constantly being about her, that was never a thing. That didn’t used to be apart of their dynamic. But ever since she saw her again at Haven, looking at a room full of her old friends and enemies and only singling out her, she couldn’t help but feel this way. 

_ Did Yang feel this way too? _

Blake coughed, trying to bring herself back into the present. She felt guilty-she was probably preventing Yang from getting some sleep. She decided to head back to her temporary room. “I’ll uh...I’ll...leave you to it,” gesturing to the bed and cringing as soon as the words left her mouth. Blake placed her hands on the soft mattress, and pushed herself up. But as soon as she turned away to leave the room, already missing the warmth, she felt a weight pull on her hand. 

Blake turned back, looking down at Yang, who was now looking at her with an expression she had never seen on her before. Shyness. 

Yang grasped her hand, “Could you...um...do you actually mind staying?” Yang’s words sounded like a question, like an offer she could refuse if she wanted to. But her eyes said something different. Unlike Adam’s, which he normally hid so Blake purposefully could only listen to his voice, she could see she wasn’t guilting her into staying. Yang was still giving her the option to go, but she was also being vulnerable and honest. Conveying “I need you here” instead of “I demand you to be here”. 

“No,” Blake replied, a small smile of her own slipping onto her face. “I don’t mind at all.” 

Yang returned it, and lifted up the covers for Blake to climb under. Once Blake was settled, she pulled them back over both of them. Yang rested her head back onto her silk pillow, meeting gold once again. They both were so close to each other, their exhales mixing together. Yang’s eyes kept looking at hers, staring into her soul. Blake was filled with such a sudden urge to say something, do something. 

“You’re beautiful,” she sighed as she pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, admiring the warmth radiating from it. Once she realized what she was doing though, she quickly retracted her hand. She wasn’t supposed to do that, why was she doing that, why was she so stu-

Yang gently grabbed her wrist and brought it back to her hair, tenderly squeezing it before pulling away. Indicating everything was okay. 

_ But...Yang never let anyone touch her hair. Not even her own sister. Why was she letting her touch it now?  _

She slowly moved her fingers through the strands, gently pulling apart the tangles and knots. Despite how wild and untamed it might have looked from an outsider’s perspective, her hair was softer than the sheets they were laying in. Blake was mesmerized. The moonlight reflecting onto Yang’s locks made it look like she was glowing. She looked...ethereal. 

Blake’s shaky hand continued its journey downward, lightly tracing designs onto Yang’s back. Her fingers accidentally brushed some of Yang’s skin revealed by the rising of her shirt, and her breath caught at how warm it felt. Yang had the same reaction, but probably for the opposite reason. Blake tended to run a little cold. Her hand went on autopilot as she mapped every ridge and curve of Yang’s skin, the other girl’s eyes closing as she explored. Blake continued to run her fingers over Yang’s spine, the nervousness fading as she watched the rise and fall of her chest. 

Blake’s hand continued along its journey, and she realized how tense Yang’s body still seemed to be. She slowly started rubbing circles onto her back, digging a little harder when Yang hummed at the sensation. She continued her ministrations up and down her back, making her way to a knot under her right shoulder blade. She started massaging it, working it out when she heard a noise. A sigh-no-a moan. 

Yang’s head jerked up as she became aware of the noise she had just made. “I-”

“No ‘I’m sorrys’,” Blake said as she pushed herself closer to throw her arms around her partner. She felt Yang’s once-again surprised body finally melt into her, throwing her own around her waist. Blake buried her face into the crook of Yang’s neck, breathing in the shampoo she had used to wash her hair. It smelled like sunshine and light and everything good in this world. The same could be applied to the girl the locks were attached to. 

Yang’s left hand twirled around the newly-shortened ends of her hair, while the other rubbed soothing circles onto her back, drawing sighs and hums out of her. Underneath the covers, their feet bumped together, and Blake carefully slipped a leg in between Yang’s calves, wanting to be as close as physically possible. With Yang surrounding every part of her, sleep seemed to be coming easy. Before she could completely doze off, she broke the invisible line drawn between them, and lightly pressed her lips to the side of Yang’s jaw. 

“Goodnight, Yang,” she sighed, butting her nose back into the side of her neck. She almost slipped away completely, when she felt two soft lips pressing against the bangs covering her forehead. 

“Goodnight, beautiful.” 

She was sure everyone in Atlas could hear the wild beating of her heart. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i can't go without writing fluff for one chapter, huh? these two are going to make my heart explode. i can't wait to see what kind of cuteness volume 7 brings us (crossing my fingers for some soft looks). 
> 
> i can't believe we're getting to see it in 20 days! AHHHH! 
> 
> i'm traveling all of next week so i hope to get the next chapter up in time! we'll be switching back to yang's pov. things get a little...heated...
> 
> please leave any and all comments/feedback!


	4. vacuo

Yang stepped out of the cold shower and groaned. Even with the extra amenities they had been given; showers, working ACs, open windows, etc., Vacuo’s atmosphere still felt insufferable. The ice cold temperatures of the water had helped, but sweat still formed on her forehead and dripped down her back. If it was just her, she would have kept all the doors open to circulate the air. But because that would expose her naked body, and Blake was currently in the bedroom that connected to the bathroom, she decided against it. They hadn’t seen each other like that before, and starting now just because of some heat didn’t seem like the best idea. 

Yang quickly wiped the newly-formed sweat off her body with her towel, making sure to dry off her arm thoroughly so it wouldn’t malfunction from water blockage. She put on a soft black tank top with a gold emblem in the middle, along with some underwear and a pair of black shorts. She shook out the water from her long hair and pulled it into a messy ponytail, trying to prevent it from sticking to her neck. Once she felt appropriately dressed, Yang finally opened the door as the warmth became unbearable. 

Blake met her eyes as she looked up from her book, resting with her back against the bed frame and long legs crossed in front of her. She had changed into one of Yang’s larger t-shirts...with no bottoms. Yang tried to ignore the thoughts that accompanied that detail. 

“Hey, babe. Good shower?” 

Yang nodded her head as she picked up her toothbrush, applying some toothpaste to it. “Mhm, felt real nice. Good book?” she pointed her toothbrush in the direction of the object in question, then promptly began brushing her teeth. 

“Um...yeah,” Blake remarked awkwardly. Yang scrunched her eyebrows and turned to look at her, toothbrush in mouth. She noticed the way Blake had set her book down on her chest, still opened to the page she left off on, and her cheeks turning red. She spat out the last of the toothpaste into the sink and wiped her mouth. 

“‘Um, yeah?’ What exactly happened?” Yang snorted, “Did they get it on or something?” 

“Yang! Oh my gosh!” she hid her face with the book. “Don’t ever say that again!” she said as she let out a series of giggles. 

Yang opened her moisturizer and started applying some to her face. Water always made her skin drier than the sands of Vacuo. “Well what would you prefer? Boning away? Necking it out? _Making love_?” she said in a mocking voice. 

“Hey,” Blake said in an overly offended tone, “making love is a romantic term.” 

“Says you,” Yang teased. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Oh hell, now you sound like Weiss.” 

Blake rolled her eyes. “Well, what would you call it?” 

Yang picked up her lip balm and applied some to her mouth, then neatly placed the cap back on and set it down. She turned her head to the side, arms resting against the counter, and looked stone-faced at her girlfriend. “Fucking.” 

Blake's jaw dropped for a split second. “Yang!” Blake shouted as she burst into laughter. 

Yang swiftly turned off the light in the bathroom and jumped on the bed, bouncing Blake. Blake started backing up along the bed, knowing exactly what Yang was going to do, but couldn’t back up fast enough. Yang ran her hands over and around her waist, making Blake’s laughter increase in volume. “No! Yang! Please! Nooooo!” she swatted playfully at the hands tickling her sides, giggling as Yang wouldn’t let up. 

Once she was satisfied with her work, Yang sat back up to realize she was now straddling Blake. She placed her hands on either side of her head, and brushed some strays of hair away from her face. Blake’s laughter died down as she realized how intently she was looking at her. Yang cupped her face in her palm, running her thumb up and down her cheek adoringly. 

“What?” Blake asked as she looked into her partner's eyes. 

Yang sighed, “You’re so beautiful.” 

Blake smiled up at her affectionately. She grabbed the collar of Yang’s tank top and dragged her face to hers, lips instantly finding one another, as if they had been doing this for centuries, for lifetimes. Yang savored in the taste of her, running her tongue along her bottom lip for permission. Blake eagerly let her in, tongues slowly meeting and swirling around one another. 

She ran her left hand up and down Blake’s arm, her right one rubbing back and forth on her neck. She met her hand, immediately intertwining, dragging it above and to the side of their bed. Blake tangled her fingers in her hair, drawing out a low moan from Yang’s throat. Blake gasped as Yang bit down on her bottom lip and sucked, pulling it. Yang smirked and pressed her mouth back to her girlfriend’s. As she was distracting her, Yang quickly untangled their fingers and snatched the book off the dresser where Blake had left it, jumping off the bed and looking at the open pages.

“Yang, no!” Blake hastily crawled across the bed and reached her arm out to try and grab it. “Give it, ugh-” she grunted as Yang pushed against her shoulder, “back!” 

“_The princess could only look at the thief with the eyes of one hunting for its prey_,” she read out loud in an over-the-top narrator voice. 

“Yang!”

“_Adelina lunged at Gunnora, grabbing her shoulders and pinning them onto her expensive silks. She quickly discarded her undergarments, foregoing the removal of her nightgown, and placed herself above her-_” Yang stopped as she felt warmth rushing to her body...and not because of the hot temperatures. “Oh.” 

Blake covered her face with her hands and groaned. “I want to die,” she said as she fell across the mattress. 

Yang placed Blake’s bookmark in between the pages, and set the novel back down on the dresser. She ran her hand along Blake’s long, smooth legs, trying to bring her some comfort. “Oh baby, I was just joking around. I’m sorry.” She chuckled, “Besides, it’s not like I didn’t know that you liked to read that kind of stuff.” 

Blake groaned louder. 

Yang laughed loudly and pressed soft kisses to her knees. “So,” she smirked, “who would I be?” 

Blake finally removed her hands from her face and looked at her questioningly. “What?” 

“Which character am I like? The princess or the thief?”

“Well,” Blake sat up with a shy smile, chewing on the inside of her lip, “Gunnora is brave, and super protective of the ones she loves, but she’s also really mysterious and extremely serious. Adelina on the other hand is strong-willed and loves unconditionally, and can be exceedingly stubborn. Plus, she’s a blonde. So...I’d have to go with Adelina.”

“Hey! I am not stubborn.” 

“Uh huh,” Blake said unconvinced. 

“I’m not!” Yang yelled. 

“See, that right there? Stubborn.” 

Yang shook her head. “Ugh, whatever.” She smirked as a thought popped into her head. “So...if I’m Adelina, that would make you Gunnora?” 

“In a sense, yeah,” Blake replied, not understanding where this was going. 

“So what you’re saying,” Yang’s smile threatened to take up her whole face, “is that you’re the bottom?” 

Blake’s jaw dropped and the look on her face sent Yang into full blown-laughter, falling onto her back. 

“Yang!” Her laughter only got louder, and Blake grabbed one of the pillows off the bed and started hitting her repeatedly with it. “You’re! So! Imma-! Ture!” Blake said between each smack of the pillow, Yang trying to block with her arms but failing due to her giggle fit. Blake was now on top of her, continuing to hit her with the pillow, when Yang finally chuckled, “Ok, ok! Enough, enough! I’m sorry.” 

“Thank you,” Black enunciated sharply, dropping the pillow to the side. “I’m clearly  _ not _ the bottom,” she said as she crossed her arms and pouted. Yang thought it was the cutest image she had ever seen. 

“Baby,” Yang grabbed her chin with a smile, “there is nothing wrong with being a bottom,” she softly pecked her lips. “It’s just cute seeing you get so flustered,” she softly kissed her again. “Besides, we wouldn’t even know cause neither of us have done it.” 

Both of their faces flushed as they turned away from each other, eyes not being able to meet one another. They hadn’t really ever talked about the whole sex thing, seeing as they never had the time, saving the world and all. But Yang couldn’t deny that when she saw Blake step out in her new outfit for the wastelands, she wanted to take her right then and there. 

“Right,” Blake finally said, breaking the silence. 

Maybe this was the time to talk about it. “Would you,” Yang cleared her throat awkwardly, “would you ever want to do that?” 

Blake raised her eyebrow in confusion, “Huh?” 

Yang groaned inwardly, cursing whatever god was making her inarticulate right now, “You know-would you ever, like, me and you…”

“Oh,” Blake finally said in realization, the ears on top of her head drooping slightly. “I...um…” she twirled a piece of hair around her fingers nervously, leaning back on her legs. 

Yang ran her hands up and down Blake’s thighs, feeling embarrassed for even asking the question. Of course she didn’t want to. Just because she liked reading about it didn’t mean she wanted to actually experience it. And why would she want to be intimate with her in that way? Yang was an emotional wreck. Gods, she was an idiot. “Nevermind, sorry, that was stupid.” 

Blake’s eyes flew open. “What? No! No, Yang I-” Blake took a deep breath and held out her hands, gently tugging her up so Yang could hold her in her lap. 

“Yang, I...I have really strong feelings for you. Like,  _ really _ strong feelings.” They both giggled, and Yang continued running her hands up and down her bare legs, admiring the softness. “I just, I love you, so much. But I didn’t want to say anything in case you didn’t have those kind of feelings for me, and I ended up sounding like another person who only wanted you for your body, which I don’t want, like, you’re incredibly attractive and I have scars and things all over me and I was scared you wouldn’t like them which I know is obviously so so far from the truth but-”

Yang pressed her lips against hers, effectively cutting off her anxious rambles. “First of all, you’re right. It is so far from the truth. Because you are unbelievably gorgeous, scars and all.” Blake tilted her head shyly, Yang melting at the movement. “Second of all, I know you don’t want me  _ just _ for my body, though, I do appreciate that you like what you see.” Blake snorted at that. Yang found her hands and they intertwined. “Lastly, I love you, too. And I want you...so badly. Like,  _ really _ badly.” Blake rolled her eyes at her teasing, but still flushed at the confession. “But seriously, if you ever want to...do it,” Yang looked into her eyes, “I’m here.” 

Yang didn’t miss the way Blake’s tongue darted out from her lips. Her eyes moved back and forth across her face, and Blake cupped the back of her head and pressed their mouths together, Yang groaning at the contact. Their kisses had gotten pretty heated before, but nothing quite as intimate as this. It seemed like more gasoline had been added to the fire between them, flames barely being able to be controlled. Not that Yang was trying to put them out. 

Blake tangled her fingers into her hair, pulling to bring their mouths even closer together. Their tongues met each other, and Blake moaned into her mouth as Yang slowly licked her bottom lip. Yang swore there was no better sound than Blake giving into her. She wanted to hear it again. She pulled away and kissed the corner of her mouth, and slowly descended, leaving open-mouthed kisses along the side of her jaw, down the length of her throat, over her collarbones. Blake gasped as Yang found a sensitive spot on the side of her neck, and she started licking and biting at the area. 

Blake’s gasps soon became heightened as Yang moved her hands down farther along her back, meeting the area where the t-shirt,  _ her _ t-shirt, stopped. Yang smiled against her neck and bit down once again, briefly lifting up her shirt and cupping her covered backside that she had always admired. Blake moaned at the contact, jerking her hips slightly. Like she was preventing them from doing something. 

Yang sucked lightly on her earlobe. “Don’t hold back on me, baby,” she whispered into her ear, feeling the goosebumps rise on her girlfriend’s skin, the way her breath stuttered. She went back to her lips and slowly took them into her own, her hand cupping her backside once again, dragging her even closer. Blake rolled her hips into Yang’s, and they both whined at the sensation. 

Yang had never really experienced this kind of intimacy before. She had seen a few things and read about it from Blake’s stolen books, and only tried a couple things out on herself. She had never done this with another person. But urges took over and she slowly leaned back, their kiss never breaking, taking Blake with her. She shifted one of Blake’s legs between her own, and dragged her against her flexed one. The two moaned at the sensation, and Blake broke off to bury her head on Yang’s shoulder. Their thrusts became frantic, both of them chasing something they had never experienced before. She could feel Blake’s heat dragging across her leg, and the sensation had her lower half throbbing. Blake’s pants and whines were right next to her ear, driving Yang to the edge.

Feeling bold, she slipped a hand underneath her shirt, wandering over Blake’s soft skin. The movement of their hips slowed a bit as they both felt this new sensation. She took her time mapping out every, bump, ridge, and curve of her skin. Before making her descent upwards, she stopped along a jagged set of lines above her hip. Their movements stopped and Blake looked back into her eyes. Gold meeting lilac. They both knew what that scar stood for. 

“I love you,” Yang panted, emotions overwhelming her. 

Yang saw tears forming in her eyes, and Blake pressed her mouth, more chastely this time, back to hers. “I love you, too.” 

Their soft kisses soon became impassioned again, Yang’s hand continuing her journey along Blake's skin. She found the soft valleys of Blake’s chest, running her hands along the sides of them. Blake let out stuttering gasps in between their kisses, only emboldening Yang more. She lightly brushed her thumb under one of them, asking a silent question. 

“Please,” Blake gasped out. Yang’s hands were everywhere, and Blake whimpered when she brushed her fingertips over the peaks. Yang’s thoughts were all in a haze, only focusing on the woman ahead of her. She kept one hand on her breast, and drifted her other to the soft skin of her back, slowly trailing down. She felt Blake’s smirk on her lips when she gave her backside another squeeze. She repeated the motion on her chest, and Blake bit down on her bottom lip, making Yang moan. 

As Blake pulled away from the kiss, she suddenly leaned back to sit up straight. 

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Yang asked. Blake swiftly gave her an answer. She shakily pulled on the bottom of her shirt, yanking it above her head, leaving her in only her underwear. Yang never believed in heaven and all that crap, but she started debating that when she witnessed a real life angel right in front of her. “Baby,” she leaned forward and lightly brushed her lips on her scar. “You’re ethereal," she whispered against her skin. 

Blake smoothed her girlfriend’s hair back and smiled down at her, hands and lips instantly connecting again. She gently squeezed Yang’s breast over her tank top, making her break the kiss to gasp. Blake continued her movements and pressed kisses up and down her neck, slowing at her pulse point to gently suck at it. Yang knew there was going to be a mark tomorrow. As Blake’s one hand made herself familiar with the top of Yang, still covered, her other hand made its way southward. 

Yang was scratching her back up and down when she stopped as she realized what was happening. Blake lightly rubbed her finger against the smooth skin revealed by the slight lift of Yang’s tank top. She gradually pulled it up, stopping right before the rise of her chest. Once enough skin was revealed, Blake ran her hands down her stomach, gently poking each ab, causing Yang to smirk. She slowly started dotting kisses all the way down to the waistband of her shorts. While her lips moved back up to Yang's, her hand grabbed at the top of them, hooking her pointer and middle finger inside of the pair. 

_ Oh my gods, this is happening. This is actually happening. Blake and I are going to take the next step. Wait. This is happening. What if I regret it? What if  _ she _ does? What if- _

Blake started to pull her shorts down when she broke away and yelped, “No!”

Blake instantly pulled her hand out and laid it on her shoulder, pushing back, looking at her wildly. “Oh my gosh-did I hurt you? Am I rushing this? I’m so sor-”

Yang cupped her face and pulled her back to her mouth. “No, baby,” she breathed once their kiss broke, caressing her cheek. “I just…” she sighed. “I’m just not as ready as I thought I was.” Yang sat up and ran her hand over her side, gesturing an apology. 

“Oh, Yang,” she sighed in understanding, leaning into the palm of her hand settled on her face, “it’s ok. I can wait.” 

“Are you sure? Because if you want to do it now-”

This time Blake pulled her into a kiss and pressed her forehead against hers. “Nuh uh.” Blake lightly shook her head. “I care about you. If you want to do it tomorrow, in a few weeks, months, years, whenever...I’ll wait for you.” 

“But-” 

“No buts. You’re always taking care of everyone else and putting them first. Let me do the same for you, hmm?” Blake requested as she gently stroked her face. 

Yang pulled her into her arms, burying her head into the crook of her girlfriend’s shoulder and leaving a soft kiss. “I love you so much.” 

Blake grabbed her shoulders and pulled back to cup her face. “I know,” she admitted with a smirk. “I can tell from the amount of marks that will be left on my body after tonight.”

Yang started chuckling and pulled Blake back to her, laying them both down on the bed. She rubbed her bare back up and down, admiring how soft her tan skin was. Both of them slowly drifting off to sleep. “One day,” she sighed. 

“Hmm?” Blake hummed inquisitively, eyes closing. 

“One day, I’m going to be ready. And I’m going to give you the whole world. And then some.” 

Blake opened her eyes and brought her face next to Yang’s, laying her head farther up on the pillow. She pushed a lock of hair behind her ears. “Oh, baby. You already gave me it.” She leaned forward and Yang melted into the kiss. “You’re my world.”

“You’re so cheesy.”

“Says the one who makes puns on the daily.” 

Yang lightly shoved her, but Blake pulled close again, resting her head on her girlfriend’s chest. Right next to her heart. Right where it was supposed to be. 

“Goodnight, Yang,” Blake said as she finally dozed off. 

She pressed one final kiss to her forehead. “Goodnight, Blake."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wooh! i've never written a chapter quite like that before! hope it wasn't too bad lmao. and in terms of the bottom/top discourse...they switch. thank you. 
> 
> also making love is a cute term y'all are just cowards. 
> 
> sorry about the kinda late posting! i was traveling all week but still wanted to get this up for y'all. two more weeks til we see the girls again!!! ahhhh!!!
> 
> please leave any and all comments/feedback!


	5. together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wooh sorry this took so long to put up! i was having some health issues and unfortunately didn't feel the urge to update. with that, enjoy the last chapter!

She awoke to the rays of sunshine shining over her face, the birds singing, the ocean breeze drifting in through the windows. She definitely preferred Menagerie’s version of a wake-up call, rather than their blaring one back at home. Though, she did have to admit she missed the young ones jumping on their bed to alert them that it was, indeed, morning. 

Blake extended her figure, feeling the joints pop and muscles stretch. She hummed in content and turned over, meeting the image of the most beautiful person she had ever laid eyes on. Yang’s hair was wildly strewn across the pillow, messy yellows and golds accompanying the soft lavender of the bed. Her right arm was still thrown over Blake’s waist (Blake guessed she had fallen asleep and forgotten to take the prosthetic off), her left resting next to her face. The sheets had fallen throughout the night, leaving only part of her bare body covered, not that Blake was complaining. Her mouth was wide open, soft snores and bit of drool emerging from her mouth. 

_ Yeah, beautiful.  _

Blake stretched out her hand, leaving soft caresses up and down her wife’s arm. She took in the warmth of her skin. Blake wasn’t lying when she said she was getting a wife along with a personal heater when they got married. She kept following the arm, up until the ridge where flesh met metal, and pressed her lips gently on it. That ridge was a reminder of their past promise to one another. The rings adorning their fingers were promises of the future. 

While Blake was busy chasing these thoughts, fingers continuously tracing patterns, she felt a pair of eyes on her. She looked up and met Yang’s eyes. Lilac meeting gold.

“Hi,” Yang said quietly. 

“Hi,” Blake replied. 

Small smiles adorned both of their faces. One word encompassing everything they wanted to say. 

_ You’re beautiful. I adore you. You’re my life. I love you.  _

Yang stretched out her limbs, arms flying above her head, Blake’s eyes  _ totally _ not scanning more of the newly revealed skin thanks to the sheet moving. 

Yang chuckled. “You say you’re stealthy, but I beg to differ.” 

“Hmm?” she looked up at Yang’s face, seeing the smirk plastered there.

“Babe, I saw you checking me out.” 

“Well, can you blame me? I mean? Have you  _ seen _ you?” Blake let her eyes wander up and down her body unabashedly, making her point known. 

Yang chuckled again, a mischievous smile forming on her lips. 

Blake looked at her with one eyebrow raised. She knew that look. “Yang-”

“You know I was just thinking...”

“Oh no.”

“You just had a near-sex experience.”

“Please don’t.”

“Because your whole wife-”

“Hon, don’t you dare-”

“Just flashed before your eyes.”

“I’m filing for divorce.” 

“Awww,” Yang pulled her suffocatingly close to her, arms wrapping around her waist, “you love me.”

“That’s debatable,” Blake mumbled into her hair. 

Yang pulled away and let out a dramatic gasp, putting her hand over her heart. “Blake, do you not love me anymore? Has it finally run out?”

Blake stared at her as stone-faced as she could manage, “Nope, cause the love was never there.” She couldn’t help but let out a small laugh after the last word. Those words were so far from the truth. 

Yang gasped dramatically once again. She was starting to sound like one of those actresses from the soaps her mom watched unironically. “I knew it. I knew you were only in it for the money.”

“Well,” Blake reached out, dragging a finger slowly down the curve of Yang’s body, “I had some other reasons.” 

Yang’s eyebrows rose, smirk threatening to take up her whole face. “Oh? And what would those reasons be, Mrs. Belladonna?” 

Blake pulled her hand away and sat up, purposefully letting the sheets drop slowly down her body. Yang bit her lip as her eyes scanned Blake up and down. She slid off the bed, feet hitting the bamboo floor, back turned to Yang, and stretched her arms above her head. She ran a hand through her hair, arching her back seductively, and peered over her shoulder. Yang’s eyes were filled with nothing but pure desire and lust, her smirk full of mischief. 

She leisurely walked around the bed, letting her fingers skim over the bedpost while swaying her hips. Yang sat up on her elbows, clenching the sheets in her fists, taking in the sight. Blake felt her legs become weak at the way her wife was looking at her. After all these years, they still had that same need for each other.

She finally made her way to Yang’s side and tore the sheets off her body. Blake pushed her to the center, then climbed back on top of the mattress. She threw one leg over Yang’s thighs, properly straddling her waist. She could feel her arousal from where they met. Yang was looking at her with such hunger and want, that she involuntarily jerked her hips. Yang groaned at the contact. She smirked as she heard the sound. Blake sensually ran her hands up Yang’s body, eyes never leaving Yang’s.

“Gods, you’re so hot,” Yang sighed, running her hands over her thighs, her hips. Blake smirked and let her hands cup her face. She drew her into her mouth, Yang palming at her hips, her backside. Blake moving one hand to do the same to her chest. Blake pulled back with a pop, Yang panting as Blake continued squeezing her breasts. 

“One of those reasons…” Blake spoke lowly as she pushed her back into the bed, tongue dragging up the side of her neck, hands moving south, “was to see you squirm beneath my hands.” 

Yang moaned loudly, and Blake sucked hard against her neck. “Fuck, baby,” she panted. “Please, please just do it. I need you.” 

Blake looked back at her, smiling mischievously. “If you insist.” 

She moved her hands down farther, Yang’s stomach jerking at the touch. She slowly ran her thumbs over her hip bones, taking her time admiring the abs of her partner. As Yang started opening her mouth to say something, Blake’s hands started flying wildly across her stomach and hips. 

“Noooooo! B-Blake! Pleaseeee! This is-this is not what I was askinggg! Blaaaaakeeee!” She swatted her hands at the girl sitting above her, moving side to side, threatening to throw her off. Blake just tickled her more, both of them smiling brightly as laughter filled the room. Yang finally caught her hands, and rolled her over on her back, now straddling Blake. 

“You jerk!” Yang whined. “You can’t just do that to someone!”

Blake just laughed, Yang joining in. Their laughter slowly faded to faint giggles, both of them breathing hard and looking at each other fondly. 

Yang decided that that would be the perfect moment to fall on top of her. 

“Ugh! Get off of me!” Blake grunted as she tried to push her off. Yang only put more weight on her, wrapping every single one of her limbs around her. Her long locks covered Blake’s face, some of the strands falling into her mouth. “ _ Yang _ !” she whined and finally pried her off of her, gasping for air. “You’re worse than Chiara.” 

“Uh, no,” Yang giggled, flopping back onto the mattress, “that child does not listen to  _ anyone _ .” 

Chiara Belladonna and Huang Xiao-Long, their twins, were currently staying at Taiyang’s for a few weeks. After postponing their honeymoon for years due to the millions of meetings and missions they had to attend to, plus having two kids, they finally made the time to do it. Their plan was to visit Menagerie, then the Oasis in Vacuo, and to finally stop in Atlas to revisit their first kiss. 

Blake was incredibly happy and grateful to finally get some time off, and some alone time with Yang, but her thoughts couldn’t stop going back to the kids. She had called them every day, some days more than once, just to check up on them. Yang kept on having to pull her scroll away from her, wanting her to just relax. 

She thought back on when they first brought up the idea of having children. It seemed like ages ago. 

-

They had to get the kids away from this area. By tomorrow, this part of Vale was going to be a disaster zone. Buildings demolished, ash throughout the air, homes destroyed. Lives taken. The teams had to prevent as much as that as possible. They started rounding them up, the older ones letting the younger children go first, handing them off to the huntresses and hunters. They had established a safe zone on Patch, an island just off the coast of Vale, Yang and Ruby’s home. 

Blake watched as kid by kid lined up to get on the airship, some of them hugging each other tight with tears in their eyes, not knowing if they would return to the same place. She watched a little boy hug one of his sisters tight, begging her not to let him go. Her heart sunk. She couldn’t be near this any longer. 

She wished she could do something, say something, but she was never really great with kids. Yang was always better in that area. 

Blake turned and made her way to one of the broken buildings, ruins from the Fall of Beacon, hoping to get some air. All of this was a mess. She felt sick to her stomach walking around surveying the damage, not wanting to remember the last time she was here. She was terrified of something like that happening again. She wasn’t going to let something like that happen again. 

Blake was so caught up in her thoughts and looking at the ground that she didn’t see Yang standing in front of one of the buildings. The sign read “ Jun or s C b: e l the nigh h ”. The only part that really stood out was ‘ Junior’s ’. She remembered Yang taking her here for a drink (non-alcoholic of course) after they both passed their test for Oobleck’s class. That felt like ages ago. 

“Hey,” Yang said quietly, eyes glued to the letters, looking tired and run-down. This war wasn’t easy on any of them. 

“Hey,” Blake replied, just as tired and quiet. Staring off at the sign. This wasn’t right. It wasn’t supposed to be broken. These buildings weren’t supposed to be turned into dust and barely held together structures. Those kids weren’t supposed to be taken away from the only home they knew. 

“Woah, baby, woah, what’s going on?” Yang turned to her with a look of alarm, eyebrows shot up under her bangs. She reached out her hands to grasp her arms, trying to get her to turn towards her. Blake did, and that’s when she realized her eyes were blurry. She quickly wiped at them, trying to get rid of the tears, but they just kept coming. 

“I’m sorry,” she choked out. “I just...I guess I wasn’t as ready as I thought I was to come back to this.” 

Yang looked back at the club in confusion. “Junior’s Club? Babe, it wasn’t-”

“No, no,” she sighed. A small smile sneaking its way onto her face, a sorrowful expression soon replacing it. “Vale, Beacon, I just...it’s too much. I can still feel what happened here,” she said sadly. Yang eyes widened in realization. 

“Oh.” 

“Yeah.”

Yang’s hands dragged down her shoulders to her shaky fists, unfurling them to hold onto them. “Blake, what went down here, wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t any of our faults.”

“But if I-” Yang didn’t miss the way her eyes glanced over to her arm. 

Yang abruptly took her jaw in between her fingers and tilted it up to look into her eyes. “Not. Your. Fault.” 

Blake sniffled and pulled her girlfriend into her arms, needing her warmth and brightness in this place full of pain and shadows. It didn’t take long before Yang wrapped her own arms around Blake, gently rubbing her back. She lightly kissed the top of her head, right between her ears, Blake sinking further into her body. The two stood there for a while, swaying back and forth, taking in one another. 

“I saw you with that little girl today,” she finally sighed.

Yang pulled back to look at her, rubbing the back of her neck bashfully. “Oh, did you?”

Her girlfriend had seen a small girl, a bear faunus, crying because she had scraped her knee trying to get onto the airship, and immediately ran over to her aid. She cleaned it and applied a bandage to the girl’s injury, all while making jokes just to make her laugh. Once she was finished, Yang talked with the girl for awhile, something about emotions and strength and how both go hand in hand. When Yang finally walked away, the young girl was left beaming and chatting energetically with the others. Blake had never felt more in love. 

“Yeah,” she said softly, reaching on her tiptoes to give her a small kiss. She adored Yang’s shy side. “You’re pretty amazing with kids, babe.” 

“I-” Yang chuckled bashfully. “It just comes from years of experience, I guess.” Yang winced as the words came out of her mouth, realizing what she had just said. 

Blake sometimes forgot that she basically had to raise Ruby all on her own when her mom died, her dad not being able to. It was something Blake was proud of and admired, but hated that Yang had to go through that by herself. Yang quickly changed her expression and the subject. 

“I just don’t want anyone to feel like they’re not cared for, y’know? Especially kids. I’ve just always felt drawn to help them.” 

Blake tilted her head to the side, basking in the adorableness that was her girlfriend. She softly cupped her face and brought her lips down to hers. “You’re going to make an incredible mother one day, Yang,” she said sincerely once they broke. 

“So are you,” she said while pushing a piece of hair behind one of Blake’s human ears. 

“Oh no, I never really thought about having kids.” Blake regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth, looking at the sunken features of Yang’s face. A heavy weight settled between them as an unspoken conversation finally emerged. 

“Oh, really?” Yang tried to hide her disappointment, but failed to do so. “I’m sorry that came off as super judgemental.”

“No, no it’s ok. I’m sorry. We never really...talked about that subject before,” she sighed. “I guess, I don’t know. I grew up my whole life as an only child. I never really had to take care of anyone besides myself. I just never really thought-”

“Babe, it’s ok, you don’t have to explain it to me,” Yang said as she gave her a small smile. “If you don’t want kids, you don’t want kids.”

“No,” she took hold of Yang’s hands, looking into her eyes. Lilac meeting gold. “I never really thought about having kids, or starting a family, or settling down, until I met you.” Yang looked down at her with tears forming in her eyes, her smile tilting in adoration. 

“ But now,” she continued, her heart racing, “every time I look at you, I think about what rings would look best on our fingers, what will the weather be like when we get married, who’s going to cry harder when we see each other for the first time-”

“Oh that’ll definitely be me,” Yang chuckled through her tears. 

“How we’ll hold our own life in our arms, how we’ll see them grow up and go through changes, how we’ll have to have ‘The Talk’ with them.” They both fell into a string of giggles. 

Blake grasped her hands a little tighter. “How we’ll both be there for them when they need it. How we’ll love them unconditionally, no questions asked. How I’ll look to you as they’re finally leaving our house, starting their own lives, and whisper, ‘_We did it_.’” 

“Blake,” Yang sighed lovingly, tears falling down her face.

“I know it’s a lot, I just,” she pressed her forehead onto hers, eyes still meeting, “I never thought about a life like that until you. And I can’t imagine a life without you in it.” 

Yang cupped her face, pulling away to look at her, tears still flowing freely. She pushed their lips together after a few seconds, both of them melting deeply into the kiss. Salt stained both of their cheeks, but they both made no move to break this moment. 

“Yang? Blake? We’re loading up-” Ruby called rounding the corner with Weiss. They came to a stop when they saw the couple together. Blake and Yang pulled apart, glancing over at their teammates like two deer caught in headlights. The team abruptly dissolved into laughter, breaking the tension around them. 

“Just come when you can,” Weiss said fondly towards the girls, softly shaking her head. 

“We’ll be there in a second,” Yang replied back. 

Weiss nodded and started walking away with Ruby. Weiss disappeared behind the building, but Ruby stopped and took one last glance at them. 

“What is it?” Blake asked. 

“Nothing. Just really like seeing you two together.” She smiled and finally headed back. _ _

“I love your sister,” Blake said, turning back to Yang. 

“Oh, I see, so you’re just going to leave me for her? Got it. Wow. My life’s just...over," she said dramatically. 

Blake laughed into the kiss. “C’mon, you dork,” she said pulling on her hand, “let’s not keep them waiting.” 

Yang pulled her back into her arms and planted one long, lasting kiss on her lips. “When we win this thing, let’s talk more about this life of ours.” 

-

Blake smiled at the memory. Back then, she had pictured her future, but she could have never imagined that a lot of it would actually come true. 

“What you smiling at?” Yang asked, snapping her from her thoughts. 

She looked back into her wife’s eyes, and brushed the strands of golden hair that had fallen in front of them. “Mmm,” she hummed, wrapping her arms around Yang’s warm, barren body. She placed a soft kiss to her forehead. “Just how my life wouldn’t be the same without you.”

“Man, and I thought ‘Emo Blake’ was just a phase,” Yang teased. 

“Oh no, she’s here for the long haul, baby.” 

“Mm, guess I am too.” 

“Oh my gods! ‘Emo Yang’ is back, too?” Blake giggled, Yang quickly joining in. 

“Well ‘Emo Yang’ was very obsessed with you. I don’t think she ever truly left.” 

Yang closed her eyes at this point, resting her head against Blake’s chest.  After all these years, Blake thought she would get used to this sight, to this feeling. Of Yang being so content, of Yang expressing how much she genuinely loved her. But she could never get over this. These were the moments she never thought she would get to experience, never thought she deserved. And yet, here she was, living them. 

“I love you,” she spoke, breaking the comfortable silence that had surrounded them. 

Yang opened her eyes and sat up in the slightest, gently cupping her face. She ran her thumb back and forth across the sharp line of her jaw, looking down at Blake with total admiration. “I love you, baby. Forever.” 

Blake roughly pulled her down to her, tangling her fingers in the long locks of Yang’s hair. She slanted her lips across hers, giving her immediate access. They both fell into the kiss, lips and teeth and tongues all meeting. Yang drew back while sucking on her lower lip, eliciting a whine out of her. 

Yang pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth, leaving a trail of them on her jaw up to the bottom of her ear. She lightly pulled on her earlobe with her teeth, making Blake gasp. 

“Let me kiss you.” She pressed a kiss to the side of her neck. “Let me love you.” She lightly pressed another kiss in between her breasts, causing Blake to sigh. “Let me hold you in my arms.” She pressed a chaste, slow kiss to her mouth. 

“Anything, love,” she breathed. “Anything.” 

Yang gave her a mischievous smirk, and continued to work on her neck. She bit and sucked and licked until her throat was covered in purples and blues and reds. Yang trailed down, making work of her chest. Sucking, biting, making goosebumps raise all over her body. Blake’s spine arched and her head fell back when Yang hit a sensitive spot. She couldn’t stand the teasing anymore. 

“ _ Yang _ ,” she growled. 

Yang got the message, she didn’t have to clarify after so many years of doing this. 

She kissed her way down her body, stopping right above the thatch of hair. She skipped over the part Blake needed the most, and started marking up and down her thighs. Blake was basically jerking and groaning at every contact Yang’s mouth made against her skin. She wanted her. She needed her. 

“_Yang_!” she whined in frustration as her wife began retracing her trails of kisses, purposely avoiding where she needed the most attention. 

“It’s a good thing the kids aren’t here,” Yang smirked from between her legs, a view that was not helping with her current state. “I can finally make you scream without having to cover your mouth.” 

“Babe?” Blake panted. 

“Yes, darling?”

“Stop talking about our kids and fuck me already.”

Yang smiled widely back at her and gave her a small salute, still in between her thighs. “Yes, m’am.” 

Yang finally used her mouth for something other than talking, and Blake’s whines and moans filled the air instead. After wearing each other out, leaving more than a few bruises and marks along their bodies, they gave in to their exhaustion and fell back into a deep sleep. 

Back into each other’s arms. Just where they belonged. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i loved getting to explore the topic of kids between our bees. this hardly ever gets brought up in relationships, and i wanted to shine a light on it. i hope i did it justice. 
> 
> speaking of the kids: huang's name has a chinese origin that means yellow/bright, and chiara's is italian and means clarity/beauty.
> 
> also i apologize for the horrible pun. 
> 
> this is the first multi-chapter fic i ever wrote, and i'm so glad i get to share it with y'all :). i hope you enjoyed!
> 
> please leave any and all comments/feedback!
> 
> rwby7 this weekend!!!


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